rabbit test

Definitions

n. pregnancy test that involves injecting some of the woman's urine into an unmated female rabbit and later examining the ovaries of the rabbit; presence of corpora lutea indicates that the woman is pregnant

The rabbit test was an early pregnancy test developed in 1927. The test consisted of injecting a woman's urine into a female rabbit, then examining the rabbit's ovaries a few days later, which would change in response to the hormone (hCG), which is only secreted by pregnant women. The rabbit test became a widely used bioassay (animal-based test) to test for pregnancy. The term "rabbit test" was first recorded in 1949 but became a common phrase in the English language.

Modern pregnancy tests still operate this basis. Due to medical advances, use of a live animal is no longer required.

It was a common misconception that the injected rabbit would die only if the woman was pregnant. This led to the phrase "the rabbit died" being used as a euphemism for a positive pregnancy test.